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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26523214">Teach a Clone to Fish</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Papook/pseuds/Papook'>Papook</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Food Issues, Gen, Humor, Minor OC clone characters, Star Wars AU - Soft Wars, implied eating disorder</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:40:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,321</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26523214</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Papook/pseuds/Papook</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>And help him save his di'kut Jetii from himself.</p>
<p>(Bant teaches Cody a few essential skills, weaponizes shinies, and gives Obi-Wan a crisis)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bant Eerin &amp; Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-2224 | Cody &amp; Bant Eerin, CC-2224 | Cody &amp; Obi-Wan Kenobi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>120</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>886</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Fun/Humour/Crack in a Galaxy Far Far Away, Open Source Soft Wars</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Teach a Clone to Fish</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Project0506/gifts">Project0506</a>.</li>


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23858638">Programmed Misadventures</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Project0506/pseuds/Project0506">Project0506</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is completely inspired by Project0506's Soft Wars series (which I love with my whole soul); more particularly, by "Programmed Misadventures". I've borrowed Bore the Medic from there for a slight cameo here. I promise he's completely unharmed, will be returned in mint condition.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Bant Eerin, Cody decided, was a miracle shaped like a fish.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Bantling</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” his General whined.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh-boy,” Bant returned, the picture of Jedi serenity.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh-boy,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Cody thought with glee. He wondered what other gems he could collect from Obi-Wan’s batchmate.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Obi-Wan glared. Bant didn’t say anything, just bit into her own breakfast sandwich and watched him, inevitable and inexorable as the tide, with a stare that said 'I am perfectly sure that the world will inevitably arrange itself to fit my expectations; you would be wise to surrender quickly, because I sure as hell won't'.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And then--Cody couldn’t believe it--Obi-Wan </span>
  <em>
    <span>cleared his plate.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Cody lingered in the commissary for a moment after Obi-Wan stalked off to the Council Chamber in a huff. When Bant made to leave as well, he called out, “Sir? May I have a word?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course, Commander,” she said, pausing in the door. He gestured to an out of the way spot down the hall. She followed, tilting her head curiously when he dragged a hand through his hair. He thought about getting down on a knee for this but decided to hold that in reserve, just in case he needed some extra leverage.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You got the General to eat a </span>
  <em>
    <span>whole meal</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he said in abject wonder. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Please teach me.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Step one,” Bant instructed at midmeal. They’d arrived, as agreed, right when the meal began, and collected three trays: one for themselves and an extra for Obi-Wan. Cody followed Bant to a table and watched as she took a picture of the trays. “Create an obligation.” She sent the picture to Obi-Wan, simply captioned ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>food’s ready.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Obi likes to think he has manners. To refuse something already prepared would be rude.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Cody reached for his fork she stopped his hand. “Step two: enforce the obligation by refusing to eat until he gets here. That way, he’s not only rude for refusing something you’ve prepared, he’s also preventing </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> from eating, which is </span>
  <em>
    <span>unpardonable.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” She let him watch as she sent the same picture of the food trays again, this time captioned with just a sad face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Obi-Wan appeared in record time, slightly petulant but apologetic. He tried to make his excuses, but Bant merely watched him with her fork poised above her tray until he began to eat. Cody followed suit.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Step three,” she whispered as an aside while Obi-Wan was briefly distracted by greeting another Jedi. “Don’t finish eating before he does. The longer you take to eat, the longer he will mimic you without realizing.” Cody was almost done with his meal, he realized. If he slowed down now it would be suspicious. Obi-Wan was only half finished, but Bant was matching him almost bite for bite, and sure enough, Obi-Wan cleared his plate again. That was two whole meals in a row. He looked down at his empty plate in slightly betrayed surprise, then glanced at the two of them. They both looked back, Cody blank, Bant demurely innocent.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I must be off, deploying soon, lots to do you know,” Obi-Wan said, and left slightly faster than he usually would. They watched him go.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Any other tips?” Cody asked thoughtfully.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bant smiled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He thinks he's above peer pressure, but he's really not,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Bant told him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At the end of the afternoon briefing, Obi-Wan held his hand out for the datapad Cody usually gave him. Cody placed an unwrapped kelp bar in it instead. Obi-Wan glared at it, betrayed. Cody didn't say anything; just took a bite of his own bar and watched his Jedi.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Obi-Wan ate the bar.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Get him when he's distracted</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she'd advised.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Cody plunked a bowl of roasted nuts down between them during the evening paperwork session, Obi-Wan absently ate three handfuls before he noticed what he was doing and flushed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What about when he's being impossible,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Cody groused into his comm the next night, hauling his woozy general upright and heading to medbay for yet another IV to combat dehydration.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Spike his tea with electrolytes, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Bant replied.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Three days (and six successful meals) later Cody slumped heavily onto the bench next to Bant. “I don't know what to do when we ship back out tomorrow," he confessed. "If I start sending him pictures of meals he's going to get suspicious."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm,” Bant hummed, rearranging their trays. Her large eyes roved pensively around the room. Cody wondered how she processed looking in two directions at once. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Commander,” she said, as a gaggle of shinies came through the door, “how many of your troops does Obi-Wan know by name?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He watched her watch the shinies. “About half, I think. Why?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Meals are just such a good time to get to know the men, you know?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I agree, sir. I really do.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span>Obi-Wan sighed as his comm chimed with an incoming picture. No doubt it was Bant, wondering why he was taking so long to come eat. He opened the message with resignation. Unlike her usual pictures, this one had two trays of food and a trooper with blank white armor and a bashful smile. </span><em><span>Hex</span></em> <em><span>was hoping to eat with you today.</span></em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Cody and Bant exchanged a discreet fistbump under the table when Obi-Wan appeared, unable to countenance crushing the assumed hopes of the tender little vod’ika they had recruited (after a quick competition among the squad for who had the best pleading tooka eyes). Hex seemed thrilled enough to be invited to sit with the Jedi that Cody’s planned bribe of a pudding cup was unneeded. They had also coached Hex in proper eating speed, and he performed admirably, with Obi-Wan so concentrated on putting the new trooper at ease that he didn’t even notice he was eating yet another meal.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Cody watched Hex’s squad peer at the interaction with mingled trepidation and envy. Yeah. This would definitely work.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In the end, Cody didn’t even have to implement the roster he had come up with. All it took was carefully insinuating to the two most envious shinies that the General would be </span>
  <em>
    <span>delighted</span>
  </em>
  <span> to eat with the new troopers but, being polite, didn’t want to impose and therefore needed an invitation, and the traditional Jedi invitation to join in a meal was a prepared tray of food.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Cody knew his victory was assured when a shiny, nearly trembling with fear but clearly determined, approached Obi-Wan on the bridge at shift change and asked if he would please eat with Ink Squad, assuring the Jedi that they already had his tray ready, Squid and Ceph had gone ahead and got it special. That was all it took for it to become a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thing</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and by the end of the tenday it was a race to see who could catch Obi-Wan first to secure his presence at a meal. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Obi-Wan took it all in bemused but gracious stride.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What did you </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” hissed Bore as he dragged Cody into the medbay like some deep sea creature hauling unfortunate prey back to its lair.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t do anything!” Cody yelped in instinctive denial. He had no idea why the medic had pounced on him for simply walking past the medbay. He hadn’t even gotten winged in their last engagement, had nothing more than sore muscles, which was not reason enough for Bore to be treating him like this.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You did something, I know you did, when I finally cornered the General to get his arm looked at I </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn’t count his ribs.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That...is usually a good thing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And </span>
  <em>
    <span>usually</span>
  </em>
  <span> I can count Kenobi’s ribs. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How did you make him start eating?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Bore demanded, looking a bit wild about the eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Cody smirked. “Did you know that a tray of food is the traditional Jedi way to invite someone to join a cluster?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <span>Obi-Wan looked at his belt in bewilderment. It wouldn’t close at the usual hole. He needed to use the next one up. Was he getting </span>
  <em>
    <span>fat?</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's called NOT BEING MALNOURISHED Obi-Wan, for Force's sake.</p>
<p>(Squid is one of the envious shinies. Did he name himself after Bant? Absolutely.)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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